A Spring Mantel

Yes, yes, yes, I’m late to the spring decorating party. We have big stuff coming like a new floor so we’ve been busy painting etc to get ready for that, and decorating has been lower on the list.
Our new mantel and chimney are very rustic. The mantel itself is fir (which is pretty knotty) and it’s stained a dark mahogany color. We really like the rustic look, and it happens to fit in perfectly with where we live, but it’s also not a great host for “light, airy, springy decor”.
So here’s my first attempt:

As you can see, the size of the TV means there’s very little room to decorate except on each side, so that’s what I did. The only decoration that I really wanted to leave up there and work around was that nice clock. It was a really nice wedding gift (funny story: it was a gift from a friend of my in-laws. The very first time I met her, she was dropping trou to moon my MIL. TRUE story!) Anyway, I just think a clock like that needs to be up on a mantel.
So there are two little individual vignettes going on, and I’m still debating whether they work together. I like them separately….just not sure if I like them as a whole.
Right side:



The two glass items I picked up at Goodwill. The little daisy garland was a dollar store special. I stole the candle from my spring centerpiece on the dining room table (I needed more white, and I clearly need more white pillar candles in particular.) So now the centerpiece is …. in need of attention. : /
Left side:



As you can probably tell, I made that twine ball myself. Up close, it’s not my best work, but from a distance it’s cute. I LOVE the jars! They have those cool stoppers on them! Those I found at Goodwill last week for $1 each and they look so cute up there.
I stuck the little grapevine balls in them just to add a little fun. The doily was made by my crafty aunt. And I like droopy plants, so I stuck the droopy floral in there too, just to add some texture. The pitcher came from my kitchen cupboard 🙂
Now, down below, on the hearth:

Ok let’s see….the candle holder I got at Goodwill a while ago. The little jar with the cork stopper I got at GW last week for 50c. The canning jar I also got for 50c (while ago). I put a leftover Dollar Store floral pick in there with the rest of the grapevine balls. In the canning jar are pine cones and some white/iridescent marbles at the bottom as well.
The other side of the hearth only has the other matching candle holder and it needs a little more attention, so I won’t show you that today.
This area is subject to future tweaking. For now, it’s ok and better than the somewhat dark and wintery style it had before. I’ll keep you posted! (I have a bunch of things awaiting spray paint too, so once those are done, I’ll have more to work with.)
What do you think? Do the two sides work together well enough or do they need immediate attention? I feel like the right side (with the daisy garland) is a little more on the summery side, while the left side is more springy…

But, even though it may need a little rearranging still, one of the most important features of this mantel…is it was “cheep”! Most of it came from Goodwill, the dollar store, or were items I already had. The exception is I purchased the grapevine balls at Hob Lob for like $3.

Have a totally terrific Tursday! (I left out the ‘h” on purpose. ‘Thursday’ just doesn’t sound as good with ‘totally’ and ‘terrific’) 😀

I’m linking up to:

AND

Some awesome ideas at both of these blogs, as usual. Go check them out and be sure to leave a comment, because creativity thrives on a little positive reinforcement 🙂